Situated in the middle of place Charles de Gaulle, Napoleon's monument to his long-suffering troops is the largest triumphal arch in existence. The arch is an impressive 50 meters (164 feet) tall and wide enough for a pilot to have squeezed his small biplane through it way back in 1919. Ironically, Napoleon didn't live long enough to march a triumphant army through it. However, the Germans strode through the arch on the dark day they occupied Paris in World War II, as did the Allies when they too marched through to liberate the city. The arch has always symbolized freedom to the French, and it remains very much a sentimental nerve center for the city.

When it was completed in 1836, the Arc de Triomphe was so far from the center of town almost no one showed up for the opening ceremonies. Today, it's at the top of one of the world's greatest promenades, the Champs-Elysées. It rises from the very center of the place Charles de Gaulle (formerly known as L'Étoile) with 12 of Paris's most scenic avenues fanning out from it to form an elegant "star." The arch also houses the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with its Flame of Remembrance. A group of servicemen conduct a moving ceremony every evening at 6:30 PM when the flame is symbolically relit in commemoration of the millions dead on history's battlefields.

Time is taking its toll, however, so don't be surprised to see scaffolding around the skirts of the arch. Take the elevator (admission 31F; students, children over 7, 7F; under 7 free), or if you're feeling frisky, walk up to the top for one of the best views in town; you can also get an eyeful of some of Paris's worst traffic, which careens around the monument.

There is also a small museum inside that gives the arch's background history and architectural data. At the side of the arch stands the ornate François Rude sculpture, known as La Marseillaise. A word of warning: don't even think of crossing either side of the Champs-Elysées to reach the arch or you'll wind up flatter than a tarte tatin. The only way to survive the lethal traffic around the Étoile is to use the underground passageways.

Address: place Charles de Gaulle, 75008 Paris
Call: (33) 1.43.80.31.31